About Hulu Pujungan

WATERFALLS, ANCIENT BURIAL SITES, JUNGLE ADVENTURES, AND TRADITIONAL VILLAGE LIFE

The village of Long Pujungan, sub-district of Pujungan, is the entry point to Hulu Pujungan. Visitors can go up the Pujungan River by boat/motorized canoe to the villages of Pua and, further upriver, to Long Jelet, a small settlement and last outpost before a wide stretch of uninhabited, mountainous forest that separates the Pujungan area from the Apo Kayan. Alternatively, visitors can hike from Long Pujungan to Ketaman and then trek through the forest to Long Jelet.

Most of the people in Hulu Pujungan are Dayak Kenyah, and a small number of Dayak Pua. Historically, the area represented a strategic passage from the Apo Kayan to the Bahau River. The many cave burials and abandoned settlements in the area testify to the historical importance of this land. Old village sites can still be discerned by typical signs such as: planted fruit trees, traces of foot trails built by people long ago, and remnants of longhouses.

Natural and cultural attractions

The people of Hulu Pujungan have maintained strong social ties and many of the traditional ways. Visitors can still witness traditional ways of life: swidden rice agriculture, collecting forest products, fishing and hunting with traditional tools, and making of exquisite rattan handicrafts. During harvest and New Year festivals, the music of sampe, the characteristic Kenyah guitar, fills the air and traditional hornbill dances are featured for the enjoyment of local people and guests.

CONTACT IN HULU PUJUNGAN

In Hulu Pujungan please contact: U’ung Melu’ung Ecotourism Committee, Long Pujungan and Long Jelet, Kecamatan Pujungan, Kabupaten Malinau. The head of the local ecotourism committee is Mr. Laing Jalung, Long Jelet.

When in Long Pujungan, look for Mr. Yu Taang Bawan. He is a local guide who can help you arrange your next part of the journey up the Pujungan River. He does not speak much English, but he understands tourists’ needs very well and is used to taking tourists around.